1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a composition for softening fabrics or hair. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cationic amine derivative composition containing, as a viscosity modifier, a polyoxyalkylene derivative obtained by adding ethylene oxide or a mixture of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to a monohydric alcohol, a monothiol mercaptan or an alkyl phenol, and reacting the resulting adduct with a diepoxide compound.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
As is well known in the art, cationic amine derivatives having in the molecule at least one alkyl group having 11 to 24 carbon atoms possess excellent properties of softening and rendering anti-electrostatic fabrics, hair and the like, and they are widely used as antistatic softeners for fabrics and as hair rinsing agents.
In general, however, cationic amine derivatives are pasty at high concentrations and their handling is very difficult and troublesome. Accordingly, cationic amine derivatives are ordinarily marketed in the form of aqueous dispersions having a cationic amine derivative concentration of 0.5 to 20% by weight. Although cationic amine derivatives have hydrophilic characteristics, because they have a long-chain alkyl group, the water solubility thereof is low and aqueous solutions of such cationic amine derivatives having relatively high concentrations, such as several percent, are readily gelled. This gelling tendency is promoted when the compositions undergo a temperature change and when the compositions contain a poorly water-soluble component such as a perfume. Further, the presence of even a minute amount of a salt causes a reduction of the viscosity or degrades the dispersed state of the composition. Accordingly, it is required to control very strictly the salt content of cationic amine derivatives and compositions containing same. Even if such strict control is effected, it is very difficult to obtain an aqueous dispersion having a stable selectable viscosity at a selectable concentration of the cationic amine derivative.
In order to solve this problem and to obtain a stable dispersion having a selectable viscosity, it has been attempted to include in the dispersion a non-ionic surface active agent such as a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether or an alkyl phenyl ether, a water-soluble macromolecular compound such as hydroxyethyl cellulose or polyethylene glycol or a solvent such as ethylene glycol or ethyl alcohol with a water-soluble salt. However, if the amounts of such additives are small, it is difficult to obtain a stable dispersion of a cationic amine derivative having a certain viscosity. If the additives are incorporated in large amounts, the desired properties of the cationic amine derivatives are degraded. Thus, there has not yet been developed a simple method for dispersing a cationic amine derivative stably at a selectable concentration and a selectable viscosity.